RESTRICTED OUTPUT OF MILLS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1025, 14 January 1911, Page 13

RESTRICTED OUTPUT OF MILLS.

A DEARTH OF GIRLS. (By Telesraph.—Spccial Correspondent.) Christohurch, January 13. "Woollen mills all over New Zealand are complaining seriously of tho extreme difficulty experienced in procuring a sufficient number of female operatives to keep the machines going, and the wholo iudustry stands threatened with stagnation should this state of affairs continue. Never were the prospects of tho trade more promising than at present. The mills arc installed with tiro most up-to-dato machinery, the iacilities for output aro inferior t-o none in any other country, and tho demand for tho finished product is keener than, ever, but, iu spito of all these favourable factors, the industry is keptback by want of labour. Tho trouble is one of long standing, and a solution of tlie problem seems as far off as over. An attempt was 'made s ? mo . time ago to secure tho services of girls from Australia for tho New Zealand factories, but the opposition to that proposal on the part of tne Labour organisations was so strong that it was abandoned. Since then the mills have had to get along as best they can, with what labour was offering in this country, but nothing like the maximum output was reached, and importations had to fill tho gap between the' demand for woollen goods and the supply from . New Zealand 1 establishments. Tho difficulty has been felt keenly in Canterbury, and all endeavours to secure an adequate'number of operatives to work the mills have failed. ''The position is getting worso and worse," declared Mr. P. Hercus, manager of the Kaiapoi Woollen Company, to a "Press" representative.- "I really. don J t know where the girls are. Certainly nono aro offering' .for our work. Our company havo been advertising all over New Zealand for hands, but wo cannot get them, and other companies aro in the same position. A very largo Government contract is ottering just now for tho manufacture of uniforms for the railway staffs of the colony, but wo cannot oven think of tendering for this work, for wo have no labour to carry it out. That means that, in respect of that' one contract, Cliristchurch will lose the benefit of a certain particular expenditure of public money. .

_ "We have," lie added, "suggested tho importation of girls from England, but, at present, it is possiblo only to import domestic servants and farm hands, and tho Government will not hear of any proposal to import girls for service in the woollen mills. Wo aro quite prepared ,to guarantee employment for three years to as many experienced workers as wo want. We could do with fifty coat hands immediately, as well as many others for other departments. Wo have advertised extensively la'toly, but with _ almost barren results. Tho loss of girls by marriage this Christmas has been unusually heavy, and wo cannot get others to fill the vacancies." The condition of the trade throughout tho country (Mr. Hercus added) was excellent, but the general output, for tho causes mentioned, was not.keeping pace with the development of tho country, and the most that manufacturers could hopo to do was simply to maintain tho present output.

POSITION IN DUNEDIN. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) _ Dunedin, January 13. Local manufacturers complain of the scarcity of juvenile labour, and say that adult labour is also .'hard to obtain. The difficulty presents itself chiefly in the clothing trado which, it is said, could easily absorb 500 additional hands in tho Dominion. In Dunedin complaints aro daily coming to hand about tho non-delivery of orders, but manufacturers are powerless as they cannot obtain more hands. As a result thousands of pounds' worth of goods aro being, indented from Home which would profitably be mado in New Zealand were labour available. Numerous causes aro stated for the shortage. Ono explanation is a falling. away in tho number of boys and girls' available at the age at which it is legal to commence work. Many young people nowadays took to office work for employment. So .far as female labour is concerned, wages having been''pretty high for the last year or two, there have' bean moro marriages which has largely reduced the supply of labour. The scarcity of hands is also severely felt in unskilled trades,